The Devil's Tattoo

by Nicole R. Taylor

  "What the hell is your problem?" I asked, thumping down my empty bottle on the bar.

  "Frank told you."

  "Of course Frank told me."

  "This is the most animated I've seen you off stage."

  "What's your problem?" I asked again and suddenly I felt incredibly turned on at how riled up he'd made me from this one little thing. Frank said Will had it bad? I had it worse.

  "I don't have a problem."

  "Why the hell do you care?" I exclaimed. "On second thoughts, don't answer that. I could care less."

  "I could care a lot."

  I was too angry for that to register. "Oh, go do your skank and leave me the hell alone."

  Will stared at me dumbfounded and for once he seemed like he was lost for words. I didn't stick around. I turned sharply on my heel and elbowed my way back to where I'd left my next drink with the boys.

  "You sure put him in his place," Dee sniggered as I approached.

  "Oh, go jump Dylan."

  "Your name's Dylan?" Chris asked.

  "Now see what you've done?" he exclaimed. "You've ruined my mystique."

  "Is that what you call it?" I asked.

  He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Never mind. I'm taking you back to the hotel if you're done defending Frank's virtue."

  "Hey," Frank exclaimed. "I don't have any virtue to protect."

  I didn't have the strength to protest as Dee slipped an arm around my waist and guided me from the venue. Going back to the hotel was a good idea. I was so worked up, who knew what I'd say to Will next. Hell, what would I say if I saw him with another girl? Yeah, going back to the hotel was a great idea.

  The next day I was feeling a little delicate. I managed to get on the bus and sink into a seat towards the back, sunnies on, hoodie pulled up over my head and earphones in my ears. Thankfully, Dee claimed the seat in front of me creating a human buffer.

  We were off to Newcastle, just north of Sydney and had a few hours of travel ahead of us. As everyone piled into the bus, they looked just as bad as I felt. When Will got on, I turned my head and stared out the window, where Simone was closing the back of the 4WD, boxes piled up high. I was so aware of him passing me, it took all my willpower not to turn back. He was like a bloody magnet of pent up sexual tension and I wanted to stick myself against him. But, he made me so furiously mad, it would be a cold day in hell when that happened.

  He didn't make a move to talk to me and once the bus began to move off, I managed to close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

  It seemed like a second later, when I woke to Dee poking me with a finger from his seat in front. "We're stopped, Zo. Do you want anything from the shop?"

  "No," I sat up, stretching. "I'll get out."

  We'd pulled up at a roadhouse at the side of the highway. Bob was filling the tank with petrol and most of the guys had gotten off for a stretch or into the servo for drinks and chocolate. Sounded like a good idea. I could benefit from a bottle of water with the cotton wool that was stuffed in my head right now.

  As the automatic doors swished open, the first thing that happened was I pulled off my sunnies. The next thing was my eyes collided with Will's. He stood right in front of me in the middle of the servo, looking sheepish, his hair falling into his eyes in that annoying way that made me want to brush it away.

  With a dramatic sigh, I stepped around him and made for the fridge at the back, determined to get my bottle of water and get out. But, Will had other ideas. I felt him follow me down the aisle and I could have turned around and yelled at him, and I did turn around, but hesitated at the last second. He looked ten times worse than I felt.

  "I'm - I didn't - " He shuffled nervously, looking at the floor.

  I looked him up and down and I should have noticed the change in his demeanour, but I was still annoyed. He was jealous of Frank? Well, I was jealous of all those random girls who seemed so much better than I was. To him, I was worth less than a one time fling and he had the audacity to get up into Frank's face about dancing with me? Way to go making a girl feel special. Pulling a bottle of water from the fridge I stalked away towards the counter.

  "Zoe," he called out after me, but I kept going.

  Pete was standing up at the counter already and turned when I came up behind him.

  "He is sorry, you know," he said kindly from under his hoodie.

  "I'm not over it yet."

  "He's a good guy, he's just…" Even Pete didn't know what was going on.

  Louie appeared from behind the magazine rack with a copy of Rolling Stone in his hand. "Strung out."

  "You're gunna make him snap," Pete agreed.

  I was going to make him snap? In what world was I the one Will Strickland was agonising over? I sighed and paid for my water. Sliding my sunnies over my eyes, I went to walk back out to the bus. Turning back at the last second, I hoped the feeling I had in my gut was right. "He's got a funny way of showing it. Jealousy is only going to piss me off."

  Louie glanced at Pete and before they could offer anything else, I went outside, the automatic door swishing open to let me through. High fiving Bob as I climbed back inside the bus, I noticed Will sitting sideways in his seat towards the back, knees curled up to his chest. His head was leaning back against the window, eyes closed. Some kind of feeling passed through me at the sight of him looking so beat, but I wasn't sure what it was yet. With a sigh, I slid back into my spot behind Dee.

  He poked his head over the seat and wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Pus-sy whipped."

  Riding on the high of another great show in the beautiful Newcastle, we hung out at the bar as the venue began to empty. We were on a roll that I hope would never end. I was determined more than ever to focus on the band and monopolise on the wealth of knowledge that each venue presented. New tech guys, new support bands, new sound guys. I asked them questions about everything as much to ignore my rising attraction and anger towards Will as to learn something new.

  It was a Thursday night, so a lot of people that had come out to see the show were leaving. In real life, people still had day jobs and couldn't hang out all night like we could. I'm watching the crowd mill around the merch table and trail their way to the door, absently rubbing my arm.

  "Is your arm bothering you?" Dee asked, appearing beside me.

  "What? No," I said.

  "Cos, I know it does sometimes."

  "How do you know that?"

  "I see you rubbing it like its aching. If it's bothering you, you should get it checked out."

  "No, it's fine," I waved him off.

  "How'd the merch go tonight?" he asked as Simone came over.

  "Like hot cakes," she smiled brightly. "I'm gunna have to call in a new order if it keeps going like it is or we'll have nothing left for Melbourne."

  "Bloody hell!" Dee chortled. "We're gunna be rich and famous."

  "I'm gunna need some help, too. I'm glad Dean is back soon."

  "Already?

  "Yeah, he's going to meet us at the hotel in Sydney."

  Dee wandered off abruptly as Sticks walked past. He grabbed his arm and started talking furiously with him and I wondered what the hell that was all about.

  "Have you said anything to Chris yet?" Simone asked, drawing my attention back to her.

  "No," I shook my head and smiled at her embarrassment. "But I will."

  "Thanks."

  "No problem. You need help boxing up the leftovers?" I asked, pointing back to the merch table.

  "No," she said. "Louie's helping me. He's gone to get the boxes from the car."

  Nodding, I looked across the room and saw Chris siting at a table by himself, a drink in one hand and his phone in the other. Winking at Simone, I went over and pulled up a chair next to him.

  "Hey, Zoe."

  "What you doin' sitting here all on your lonesome?"

  "Just wanted some alone time," he shrugged.

  "Oh, do want me to go?" I went to stand up.

  "No, no. It's okay." He gestured for me to
sit down again.

  We sat there for a moment in silence and it was probably as good a time now than any to bring up Simone. "What's the deal with you and Simone?"

  "Sorry?" He seemed surprised that I would ask.

  "You guys have known each other a while, right?"

  "Yeah, a few years. Why'd you ask?"

  "I was just thinking about it before," I said absently, even tricking myself into thinking I was telling the truth.

  "Did she say something to you?"

  Oh man, this was easy. "No," I shrugged. "I just noticed something."

  He was watching me intently and I knew I had him. "What?"

  "I dunno, I might be wrong."

  "Spit it out, Zoe."

  "Chris?" I asked firmly. "Do you like Simone? I mean, like like her."

  He tried to hide his blush. Chris was more shy than I thought he was and I knew exactly where he was coming from. He was so good, he'd even fooled me right until this exact minute. "What did you notice?" he asked, deflecting my question.

  "I was going to say that I thought she liked you."

  "Really?"

  "Yep."

  "Why?"

  "Why not?"

  He reddened again and hung his head over his drink.

  I leaned over and whispered in his ear, "She likes you. Done deal."

  He looked up at me in surprise and glanced across the room, where Simone was laughing with Louie and Frank. She turned then, as if she sensed we were looking and caught Chris' eye. She smiled a little and I swore her cheeks turned pink.

  "See?" I said.

  "I don't know what to do," he almost wailed.

  "You're so cute, Chris."

  "Zoe…"

  "Buy her a drink, talk to her. Tell her you think she's beautiful. Tell her you like her." Sounded simple when I put it like that. Why couldn't I be this coherent where Will was concerned? I fell into a puddle whenever he came close. I was so mad with him for having a go at Frank, but I still found my thoughts wandering to his eyes, his lips, his hands and what they could do to me. Just thinking about it made warmth pool in all the right places.

  I shook my head to try and clear my mind of its dirty thoughts and Chris grinned at me.

  "I know how you feel," he grimaced.

  "Am I that obvious?"

  "No," he shook his head. "He is."

  "He could care less about me."

  "Zoe, he almost thumped Frank. You know, the big bear who wouldn't hurt anyone?"

  "I'm still pissed at him," I said sullenly.

  "Give him the chance to apologise at least."

  "I'll take that into consideration."

  "Zoe, if you feel the same way..."

  "One, he flirts and feels up everyone but me. I'm not jealous, I feel worthless to him. And two, take your own advice."

  "I will when you take yours."

  I narrowed my eyes at him, knowing he was dead right.

  Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I still couldn't help but feel disappointed. How could Will like me like that when he was too busy flirting with everyone else but me? He'd been a class-a jerk of epic proportions and to date there had been no exception. Someone who cared wouldn't do that. Even his attempted apology had seemed half-hearted which made me believe he never gave them out to begin with.

  Will Strickland was an a-hole. No matter how I felt, he was not interested in me the way I wanted him to be. Not one iota.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Will

  I sat in mine and Pete's hotel room, staring at the wall. The gig had finished ages ago and Pete hadn't come back yet. I couldn't believe I'd snapped like that. My lack of restraint had made me make a complete ass out of myself.

  Seeing her dancing with Frank that way… it broke something inside of me. Another guys hands on her sent me into a rage. I had no place acting like that. Shit, she'd made it clear that she hated me something fierce. And that cut. I mean, I didn't even realise how much it had pissed her off the way I'd been acting around those other girls.

  When she'd ripped through me like that… that had been the most animated I'd ever seen her off stage.

  I was doing an epic job of pushing her in the wrong direction. I could say it was all because of this crazy attraction I had for her. Or I could say it was because I was strung out. But, they were only excuses. The truth? I was an asshole.

  I'd apologised to Frank after Zoe left, but I still felt like a complete wanker. He didn't seem that fazed by it and had laughed the whole incident off. Somehow, I think he was having a laugh at my expense.

  In the servo yesterday, I'd just froze. I mean, I knew what I wanted to say, but it didn't come out. I knew I had it bad, but that was a whole new level. I just kept digging this big hole and now it looked like I would never get out of it. I was acting like a freak.

  I jumped as the door opened and Pete wandered in, letting it slam closed behind him.

  "What did I tell you all those weeks ago about doing stupid shit?" he asked, sitting on the other bed.

  "Bloody hell, Pete. I know. I know," I groaned.

  "Yesterday at the servo…" Pete began. "We didn't ask her, but she said something to me and Louie after you tanked."

  "What did she say?" I sat up, suddenly interested.

  "She said that making her jealous is only going to piss her off. If you ain't worked that out yet, then you're dumber than dog shit, man."

  "Shit," I slumped back on the bed.

  "Will, look, you've just gotta drop the shit and talk to her. That's the only way you're gunna fix this."

  "I know."

  "Sticks told me what happened before."

  "Fuck," I groaned. "Does everyone know how much of a wanker I am?"

  "Yeah," Pete laughed.

  "Not funny. I feel like shit."

  Pete suddenly got serious. "Just talk to her. Be you. You're a good guy. In time she'll see it and if she doesn't then you can look back at this later and laugh."

  I covered my face with my hands. "If she doesn't like me, then I think I'll just die of embarrassment."

  "Dude," he kicked me in the shin. "You sound like a girl."

  "Pete… She's just… Everything's upside down."

  "Man," he laughed. "Pussy whipped is the definition of this tour."

  I'd known Pete for something like twenty years, since we were both six, and he'd never said anything more right in his whole entire life.

  It had been a few days since Zoe had ripped shreds off me and for those few days we'd been kept apart by conflicting schedules. They had photo shoots and interviews separate from ours and it wasn't like she went out of her way to speak to me. Every time I tried to catch her, she found a way to avoid me.

  By the time we were ready to move on to the next leg of the tour, I was feeling utterly defeated. I stood just inside the hotel foyer, looking out of the automatic doors into the car park, watching Zoe talking to Simone. Her hair fluttered in the breeze and she brushed it behind her ear. She was wearing her trademark aviator sunglasses with a light hoodie. The sun was shining, making her glow. Right then, I wished I'd done this right, because I could have just walked right out and swept her into my arms and planted a kiss right on her lips. She was wild and perfect.

  I wasn't used to this feeling that had settled in my gut. The one that said I was an asshole. I was the nice guy. I was the one who put and end to fights, not started them. I was the laid back one. I'd only been in three fist fights that I could remember and two of those had been in high school sticking up for Pete.

  Zoe thought I was trash. I wasn't that guy. I had to show her.

  I watched her talking with Simone and I swallowed my pride and walked out into the car park. The warm summer breeze blew bits of their conversation towards me. I was a little surprised that they seemed to be talking about Chris, their bass player. Was Zoe playing matchmaker? This woman was full of surprises.

  Simone caught sight of Chris as he passed me in the lot and made a hasty escape.

 
As Chris passed Zoe, she said, "Asked her yet?"

  He paled and kept walking.

  And then she was standing there alone, her back to me. Here was my chance.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ZOE

  "What did he say?"

  Simone was standing beside me, an anxious look plastered on her face. Her usual slick ponytail was haphazardly bunched on top of her head. A few days had passed since I had; one, yelled at Will and two, spoken with Chris. And what an eventful few days it had been. We played an extra show in Newcastle, did some interviews and another messy, but fun photo shoot on the beach. I was glad it was just The Devil's Tattoo for the latter. I hadn't spoken to Will since, you know, his crap attempt at apologising, and he hadn't tried either.

  We were packing up the bus for another days drive. This time we were going down to Sydney and I wasn't looking forward to it at all.

  "He hasn't spoken to you?" I asked, surprised. I'd told Chris it was a done deal. Him and Simone.

  "No," she sighed. "He's been really awkward around me."

  "I don't know why." On the photo shoot yesterday he'd been quieter than usual.

  "What did you tell him?"

  "Simone," I scolded her. "He likes you. He told me. I told him you felt the same."

  "You didn't!"

  "Of course I did."

  "Zoe…"

  "Done deal, Simone. Someone has to be the first one to make a move. May as well be you. Obviously Chris is still scared stiff."

  "Why would he be scared?" she asked with a frown.

  I looked at her over my sunnies. "Why would you?"

  She looked up then and caught sight of Chris lugging his bag across the car park. With a small squeak, she scurried off towards her rental and opened the back.

  As Chris passed me I said, "Asked her yet?" Knowing full well that he hadn't.

  He paled and kept walking.

  "Playing matchmaker?" I stiffened at the sound of Will's voice in my ear.

  "What's it to you?" I asked flatly, not bothering to turn around.